Some Time Alone Together
by AriXAmi
Summary: Neil spends a lot of time on the Player's farm. Who's to really say what he's doing there. And why shouldn't she be able to do something about it?


**Game: A New Beginning**

**Pairing: Female Player/Neil**

**Summary: The player finds Neil on her farm late in the evening and wants to comfort him.**

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I wasn't expecting to see him here, especially not at this hour. But like all the time before, here he was. I won't say my farm land is the best place to collect your thoughts but he seemed to think so. He wasn't in my way. But watching him from the house as the wind picked up and tossed his jacket around like it was a leaf made me worry.

Pulling my hat down over my eyes and opened the door and ran out into the brisk evening. My farm dog looked up as I ran passed but made no move to follow me. Slowing down a bit as I approached, I couldn't help but stand there and watch him.

He was sitting on my dock, his feet dangling just over the water. He would run his hand over the surface and watch the ripples or brush a stray piece of grass from his pants. And he just looked out over the water like he could see the entire world in his reflection.

"Neil?" I take another step towards him, placing my hand on the tree I was hiding behind. "You okay?"

He looked over his shoulder at me, his expression completely blank. "Fine." He answered. "It's cold out. You should go back in."

I shake my head and close the distance between us. "It's not that bad." I smile and crouch down next to him. "If you're not cold then neither am I."

Surprise forced his mouth open. "You're the only hope left for Echo Valley. If something happened to you..." He shook his head, anger flashing briefly across his features.

I stood back up and offered him my hand. "Let me walk you home then." He took it and I helped him to his feet. "If something's bothering you, you should talk about it."

He was silent on our walk back into town. Every once in a while I would catch him stealing a glance at me before quickly ducking his head when he notice I saw. I didn't mean to, but when we got to his house, I couldn't help but invite myself in.

It felt different at night. Not that I had spent much time here during the day either. But it felt less welcoming. More like I was intruding.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and side-stepped towards the door. "I-I should head back. It's late and there's a lot of work to be done tomorrow." Why was I nervous? He was still Neil. He was still the same grumpy guy who pretended he didn't care when I poked around his shop. The same guy who encouraged me when I lost my first crop festival. The same one who shows up out of nowhere on my farm. So why did it suddenly feel like I didn't know him?

"The winds are picking up. It would be best if you spent the night." My heart stopped when he said that. Spend the night? With Neil? Snap out of it! He's you're friend!

I clumsily navigated over to the couch and sat down. "Thanks." I looked down at my hands. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." He said bluntly. I looked up to see him turned away with the faintest trace of a blush painting his cheeks. "I probably would have spent the night in your barn if you hadn't walked me home." He sighed and plopped down beside me. "Sorry. I'm not good with people."

I took his hand, lightly squeezing it. "You are good with people. You're just not so good with yourself." I looked up at him. "But I think you're great."

He reached up and gently removed my hat. "You're pretty great, too." Placing my hat on the coffee table, his hand came back up and cupped my cheek. "Can I ask you something?"

My smile grew. "You can always ask me anything."

He nodded, leaning forward slightly until he was whispering directly in my ear. "Could you see yourself ever spending time with a jerk like me?"

I pulled back slightly and surprised him with a gentle kiss. "Does that answer your question?"

He kissed me softly again. "Maybe."

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**Just a cute little one shot that came to me while scrolling through tumblr. I saw a sad picture of Neil and I wanted to do something cute. I was trying not to make the female character super fangirly. Think I did ok. Let me know what you think.**


End file.
